Mirage
by raidoX2
Summary: Jaune liked to believe that he was born to become a hero like his forefathers. Ironically, his reality couldn't be anymore different. He was born weak, without talent and fate had cursed him with an ability that was useless against the enemies of humanity. However, Jaune never really cared for reality, after all, his reality was merely an illusion.


**Prologue**

* * *

Jaune of Arc understood one thing very well, he understood that reality was far more fragile than it seemed. People fought for their ideologies, for their pride, for themselves, each person possessed an attribute that drove them forwards, that they clung onto. What does one do when they lose that? When they understood the pointlessness of such motivation? Nothing. The brain was a fickle thing, it used underlying mechanisms to assuage the burden of such thoughts. Jaune knew this to be true even as he looked at the letter of acceptance from Beacon Academy.

 _After all, he wanted to be a hero._

He had dreamed about being one ever since he was a child. But reality was far more different than his dreams, Jaune was weak or at least deemed so by his parents. He knew that they still loved him, perhaps more than they cared to admit it but Jaune was desperate. And you know what they say, desperation attracts vultures.

He found out that he had a knack for it, a flair of sorts that seemed to give him an aptitude in matters of crime. It seemed ironic that the one thing that could have made him a powerful hero could only be used for evil.

He sighed, standing in front of the airbus that would take him to Beacon. He thought, 'I could still go home.' It wouldn't be all that bad, he'd get a beating from his mum about how he ran away but nonetheless it would be much safer. Who was he kidding? He was Jaune of Arc. He was born to be a hero –

Bluuurgh

Vomit erupted from his mouth as vertigo and motion sickness gripped him. He had forgotten how much he hated travelling by air or sea. "You got vomit on my shoes!" He heard a woman shout, but he barely had time to respond, rushing towards the bathroom to empty his stomach once more.

"Great, Jaune. Now you're going to be known as _that_ kid." The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, he felt many gazes of him and ushered whispers. Choosing to ignore them, he merely sat on the ledge, enjoying the view of Vale.

It was an odd city, he had been there for only a week, travelling from a small city on the outskirts of Vale. Vale was filled with criminals, he had no clue why, but it helped in getting what he wanted. A favor here and there, he found himself with fake transcripts that could apparently sway the headmaster of the Academy. He smirked, no more like forced the school to accept him. Now if only he could learn to fight.

The airbus halted in the air, jolting and slowly beginning its slow descent onto the landing pad. Jaune awkwardly found himself running towards the toilet once more.

"Never again. Never again will I ride on those infernal death-traps." He mumbled, walking around aimlessly. He had been the last person to get off the airbus. He stared at some of the people, wondering what he would say but they simply gave him a look of disgust.

 _ **You could have used it. They'd never know.**_

Nope. He dismissed the thought at the back of his head, it was already bad enough that he had used it before, he'd never want to use it on anyone. Jaune stared ahead at the school, it was just as daunting as it was magnificent. This was where he would be spending the next few years.

He heard a groan to his side and found a girl laying on the ground. Wasn't that the girl who was responsible for the explosion that he heard a few minutes ago. "Are you okay?" He asked, holding out his hand for her. The girl's eyes opened, and he greeted, "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby." She replied allowing him to help her up. It took one glance before she began to snicker, "Aren't you the guy who threw open on the ship."

Jaune groaned as they both begun to walk around. "I have motion sickness, I hate those accursed metal traps. One day, I'm going to erase them from existence." Ruby laughed at his proclamation of revenge.

"Look, I'm sorry but Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

Jaune smirked, "Perhaps I should call you Crater Face then." She pouted before swinging her arms wildly. "Hey, I'll have you know that the explosion was an accident."

"A trade then. You don't call me Vomit boy and I'll ignore the entire incident." He pointed to himself with faux bravado. "The name's Jaune Arc. Short and Simple." Completely forsaking his trademark ending to the phrase.

Ruby grinned. The pair walked awkwardly for a while before she managed to figure out what she wanted to talk about. "So…I've got this." She drew out her scythe and slammed it into the ground. Jaune stepped back in slight shock but managed to steady himself.

"A scythe?" He questioned.

She corrected, "It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." So, a gun in a weapon, it was pretty impressive.

"-Wait what about the recoil?" He thought out loud.

"It doesn't affect me." _Great._ What kind of monster's were these people and the worst part was that she looked younger than he was.

Ruby leaned in and asked curiously, "What about you."

"I have this sword, but I never really use it." He drew his blade, Crocea Mors was a simple longsword with a bronze and blue hilt.

She said excitedly, "Ooh what does it do?"

Jaune deadpanned. "It's a sword." She stared at the blade and found it to be very well preserved and crafted. Perhaps…

"It's just that everyone I know usually adds something to their weapons when they create them."

 _Create them?_

"Wait what? You created that weapon." She looked at him with a very confused face as if to say, you didn't?

"Of course! Every student at Signal forge their own weapon. Didn't you make yours?" Jaune was sweating now. It was confirmed, he had just entered the demon's liar.

"Nope. This is a hand-me-down from my great-great grandfather. It's a family heirloom."

Ruby grinned, "Well, I do appreciate the classics even if the weapon might have outlived it's usefulness."

Jaune smirked, "As I've said, I don't really use it."

Ruby was perplexed but asked, "How do you fight?"

He merely laughed, a dark grin appearing on his face out of view, "I don't." Ruby puffed her cheeks out at the cryptic answer.

Jaune lost his smile and asked, "So where are we going?"

"Hey! I was following you?" She said.

He argued back, "Hey! I've never been here before, how am I meant to know where to go." It came to their realisation that there was nobody in the courtyard. What was up with being last for everything?

They finally made it indoor, Jaune simply enjoyed the peaceful quiet before being greeted by the loud noise of the hopeful students. "Hey Ruby! I saved you a seat?" He heard the familiar voice of the woman he had puked on before.

Ruby looked apologetically at him but Jaune waved it off. "Go." He said. Ruby smiled before running over to a blonde. Jaune internally whistled, if Ruby was adorable then the blonde was stunning. His appreciation dulled by the arrival of a white-haired girl, Weiss. He rolled his eyes at the commentary she gave about the company not holding any responsibility for any damages.

"- Yeah! We can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde and scraggly over there." Jaune smirked at her sarcasm, the girl had a bite to her.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

The white-haired girl stared in slight disbelief before she said sternly, "No." Jaune chuckeled at Ruby's pouting.

Yang looked at him for the first time and said with a whisper, "Isn't that Vomit Boy." Ruby giggled and Jaune sighed. It was hopeless, his life here was doomed before it even begun.

"Cough Cough."

The headmaster of the Academy had decided to give his speech. What was his name again? Ozzy. Osborn. Ozpin. That's it! Jaune sighed as he heard Ozpin finish his speech, somehow he managed to miss it all.

Ozpin walked off the stage and a busty blonde teacher with glasses walked up. She stared at them all with a stern look and said with authority, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready."

 _For what? What was this initiation anyway?_

He decided to ask Ruby before he was forced to learn about it tomorrow. "Ruby. Do you know what the initiation is?"

Ruby shrugged, "Some sort of test. I heard we have to fight Grimm." Jaune cursed his luck, couldn't they just fight people. Those monsters were immune.

Yang stared at the boy and her sister. It was odd to see how relaxed she was in his presence. Did her sister just befriend a boy on their first day? She asked, "So who's your boyfriend Ruby?" Jaune and Ruby recoiled at once causing the blonde to laugh at their social awkwardness.

"Yang!" She shouted, her face somehow managing to match her namesake.

Yang smirked, "Now, now. I'll have you know that you are going through an important phase of your life."

Jaune thought, ' _Aren't we all? We are teenagers, after all.'_

Yang said, "Say? I've never met you, where did you go to school." This drew the snow coloured girl's attention.

Jaune looked down, "Hmmm…Here and there. I'm just a normal kid."

Wiess snorted, "Nobody is normal here."

 _Well I am, Bite me._ Jaune groaned, "Perhaps but I'm surprised that I even got accepted into the school."

Wiess gave him an odd look before she decided the conversation was not worth her time and walked away. Yang sighed, "She really needs to calm down." Jaune agreed but nonetheless decided that he too should make some preparations.

He said, "Ruby, I'll see you later."

Yang quickly grabbed his shoulder as he turned, "Wait…What's your name?"

"Jaune Arc." He replied.

Yang reciprocated, "I'm Yang Xiao Long." Her grip increased and Jaune felt a creak in his shoulder. "And I hope you and my sister get along." Sister? Jaune laughed. They looked too different to be related.

Jaune gazed into Yang's red eyes, he whispered, "Don't threaten things that you can't comprehend." Yang didn't understand, it was for a single moment. She felt her world spin and a figure appear before her. She thought, 'Mom."

"Yang! Yang! What's wrong?" Ruby asked. Yang shook herself from her stupor, finding that Jaune had long since gone.

Yang muttered, "Nothing." She narrowed her eyes at the spot Jaune was. That boy was far more nefarious then he looked.

Jaune let out a long breath as he stepped outside. That girl had a very dangerous aura around her, this school was far more dangerous then he thought that it would be. He looked at his scroll and found that he had a few hours to spare. Now, if only he had something else to wear to bed beside his Onesie. ' _Nah, I like it. Besides Sis always said that it looked good on me.'_

"I hate it. I hate the sun, I hate the morning." Jaune mumbled to himself as the entire hall was awakened by Glynda. Jaune had managed to embarrass himself twice in the same day, vomit and apparently Onesies weren't appreciated here. Peasants! The lot of them.

"Mr Arc, How many times must I wake you up." The stern voice of Glynda spoke out to the only resident in the hall.

Jaune murmured, "Begone witch!" Her response was to simply lift him with her telekinesis. Jaune was frightened, he knew that look. He had seen it in his sisters, the kind where they look at you like you're some sort of nuisance that needs to be squashed. "I'm sorry! I'll leave…" He said quickly.

Glynda sighed, her glare somewhat softening. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again. You'll need to get used to waking up early." Jaune groaned at that prospect.

So, the lady had Telekinesis, he could feel her Psionic power from a mile away but there was something else. Why was she glowing? And why did he feel as though she would take glee in watching him during the initiation.

He shuddered. He just hoped she wasn't one of those people that enjoyed whips and other creations of torture.

Jaune was forced to skip breakfast, his arrival to the cafeteria had only gifted him with enough time to drink some coffee. After finding a directory containing the names of each individual and the corresponding locker, Jaune found the key to the locker. Unfortunately for him, his locker was being obstructed by Weiss and a redhead.

"Ahem." Jaune coughed.

"You again. Why do you continue to pester me?" Weiss groused.

"You are in front of my locker." He said causing Weiss to turn red with embarrassment. Weiss said, "Get your stuff and leave, I'm trying to make a team."

Jaune smirked, "I don't mind joining."

Weiss huffed, "And why would I choose you over her." Jaune turned and looked at the red-head but was baffled by the question.

"Nice to meet you, I am Jaune Arc. What's your name?" He asked, genuinely curious. Both the girls looked at him with some shock.

The girl smiled, "Pyrrha."

"You don't know who she is? She graduated top of her class as sanctum."

"Huh."

"She won the mistral tournament four years in a row."

"The what now." He raised an eyebrow.

Weiss shouted frustratedly. "She's on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flake's."

"Marshmallow as cereal. Who created such an abomination." Jaune mused, honestly disgusted at the prospect of such a cereal.

Pyrrha giggled lightly, it had been a long time since she had met someone that didn't know her. It was honestly refreshing. Jaune grinned, "You know, if I didn't know better. I'd say that you're a fangirl." Weiss blushed at that.

She groused, "I am not."

"Of course not. I mean, why else would you want to be her partner? Certainly not for her personality." Jaune taunted. He noticed the saddened look from Pyrrha and drew himself back. Shit! He should have known bad habits tend to stick.

Weiss was furious, she shouted, "You know what, fine, be her partner." She stormed away.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha and muttered, "Sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's okay. Thank you." She said honestly. Not more needed to be said, Jaune didn't really understand what she was thanking him for, but he wasn't one to forsake gratitude. "I should probably get going."

Jaune nodded. The robotic voice did tell them to go to Beacon Cliff to initiation.

"Vomit Boy!" Yang said as she and Ruby stopped by his locker. "Not ready yet? Why are you always last to do everything?"

Jaune rolled his eyes as he grabbed his sword and shield. "I have no idea what you are talking about." He replied.

"So, are you ready?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I'm ready to die." Jaune said.

Ruby laughed, "I'm sure you'll do alright." Though it was more nervous than it was reassuring.

Beacon Cliff overlooked a vast forest said to contain many different and dangerous kinds of Grimm. Jaune was beginning to understand why when he received those forged papers, he was laughed at. If he wasn't found out, the initiation would kill him. And it didn't help that he could use his ability against Grimms, they were resistant to it.

He watched as each of the students took off, catapulted from the stone platform that they were on. Wait what. How was he going to survive the drop?

He asked, "So ummm…This landing strategy, how exactly does it work. Do we get parachutes." His eyes fell upon Glynda and noticed the slightest of smirks adorning her visage. Great! He knew she would enjoy this.

Ozpin said, "You will use your own landing strategy."

Jaune grimaced. He swore that he would never use it but even as he flew high into the air his predicament became all the clearer. His eyes shifted from their normal bright blue to a nefarious purple as he activated his ability. If anyone could see Jaune, they'd see him shatter into a million fragments of glass. After all, to Jaune, reality was merely an illusion.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I wrote this story like a year ago when I wondered what would happen if Jaune's semblance expressed a more insecure part of himself. The need to become something that he couldn't. Bonus points for anyone who can figure out what Jaune's semblance. I tried to write in a manner where Jaune is somewhat faithful to his canon person, but he does have a much darker side due to his semblance.**

 **Also Romance, I'll try to keep it to a minimum but there will be some. I haven't decided on the pairings.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and do leave a review about your thoughts about the story.**


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